This past weekend was the first my husband and I stayed in Winters instead of traveling home to Seattle. Friday was my birthday, and so Todd and I went to our favorite local restaurant, Ficelle, for tapas and wine to celebrate. The place was packed with people, and everyone seemed to know each other since it's such a small town. We kicked back with some vino, stuffed chile peppers, and hamburger sliders and did some excellent people watching.
Saturday we ventured over to Napa Valley for wine tasting. We took Highway 128 which goes from Winters through the hills near Lake Berryessa to wine country. I think the drive there and back was probably our favorite part of the day. The sunshine on the rolling hills and intoxicating smell of eucalyptus floating in our windows made for a really fun drive! We did enjoy the wineries we visited, even if it was just to wander the beautiful grounds: Opus, Coppola, The Franciscan, and Peju.
Some advice I'd give when traveling in wine country:
- Don't expect to see every winery (there are SO many!), instead pick 2 or 3 and really kick back and enjoy them. Take your time with the tastings, and stroll through the beautiful gardens.
- Make sure you have a safe driver or hire a limo/wine bus to take you around.
- If you're traveling to Napa in the fall, make your hotel reservations WAY in advance. This is harvest season and literally every hotel room was booked this past weekend.
- Take a little package of bread, cheese, etc to the wineries with you. That way you can buy a bottle of wine and sit out on the patios and enjoy a picnic.
Cheers!
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